Every day, thousands of pounds of household waste are thrown away in landfills. Adding to the endless piles of waste that have been in the environment for centuries. Contaminating the surroundings, destroying fauna and flora, and causing health threats. Buying and throwing is a standard that contributed so much to this global pollution.
Recycling is a good act to reduce solid waste pollution. This is practiced in many households and supported by many government agencies. But recycling alone is not enough to solve the increasing amount of litter in the environment. There is so much waste to process and we are consuming more than what we can recycle.
Not all solid waste can be recycled fully. There are lots of single-use products and packaging that will always end up in the dump as we have no method for making them useful again. In addition, some waste materials have limited number of recycling due to degradation every time they go through the process. Moreover, recycling still harms the surrounding. Melting metals and plastics to turn them into new products uses a huge amount of energy which increases the carbon footprint in nature. Also, the process produces smoke that pollutes the air and releases toxic chemicals that may find their way into the water and land.
The best way to reduce solid waste is to reduce the products to be recycled. This is possible by preventing waste from coming into our household or waste management. But how?
Eliminate single-use items. Note down what you throw after a single-use. The most common wrongdoer of these is disposable water bottles, paper towels, plastic utensils, and drinking straws. The trick here is changing them with reusable items or avoiding using them. For instance, using cloth wipes instead of relying on paper towels to clean up a mess in the kitchen is an eco-friendly option. Bringing a reusable water bottle for drinking instead of buying bottled drinks. Bringing your own utensils to picnic avoid using a plastic spoon and fork when eating outside. And not using plastic straws for your drinks.
Bring reusable cotton bags and when shopping. The amount of plastic trash from groceries is annoying. Almost every item is unnecessarily packed. Avoid buying pre-packed items and use your own bag to carry them. How about wet products such as fish and meat? Bring your own grocery bag. The salesmen may find this weird at first but they will be surely happy to help you especially when they know your reason.
Buy in Bulk form. You don’t only save money by doing this but your environment too. Bulk products are usually inexpensive than buying a single product. Small or per piece things accumulate the amount of packaging used increasing the amount of pollution.
Make your own cleaning products. It’s easier than you think. Most ingredients are in the kitchen. A mixture of vinegar, baking soda, lemon, and a few drops of essential oil for fragrance can be used for cleansing.
Go digital. Ask your bank and utility companies to stop sending you paper billing and instead send them via email. Going digital is more advantageous as you don’t have to deal with losing a piece of paper billing. You can also check your bills online simply. Plus going paperless will surely save lots of trees and the environment.
Waste management is a challenging role. Admitted that it won’t happen overnight. It’s important to take small and simple steps to begin and allow yourself to adapt slowly.
